Monday Musings

Hello, friends! Well, we are back to the start of another week. I tried to find a "happy" Monday gif, but there really wasn't one. I'm actually in a really good mood today, so Monday doesn't seem to hurt as much this week. I also got a good night's sleep, so that helps immensely.

I had a pretty killer weekend. I feel like it was the perfect blend of fun and relaxation. It's probably going to sound really boring, but it wasn't to me. My definition of a "fun" weekend sure has changed, and I'm okay with that.

1) I came home from work on Friday night to discover that...ROSIE HAD KITTENS! Their birth wasn't a total surprise, but because you can't really pinpoint when an animal will give birth, I was shocked.

When I came home from work, I started looking around the house for her, because, well, I knew she was pregnant and could have those kittens any day now. I first looked in the basement, as that's where she often is if I can't find her. She likes to lounge and nap in the dark quietness near the furnace. Miikka was racing around following me as I looked for her, as if to say he knew where she was and I wasn't looking in the right places. When she wasn't downstairs, I had a feeling she was in my room, so that's where I headed next.

As I got to my room, I saw Rosie right away and called out to her. As soon as she heard my voice, she turned her head and rolled over...and there they were! Already feeding were three little kittens who weren't even dry yet, so she had obviously only very recently given birth. I was the epitome of stunned. She had six total, but one was stillborn. The remaining five are healthy and cute as can be.



I was honestly afraid that once the kittens were born, Miikka would try to hurt them. He's the sweetest boy, but I've heard stories about males eating/killing babies, so I didn't know. I couldn't have been more wrong. He's been so protective of both the kittens and Rosie. He seems to be happiest when he can just lay by them and make sure they're okay.

I moved Rosie and her babies into the basement since she seems to like it there, and would also have peace and quiet. However, this made Miikka very upset, as he laid by the basement door and cried for a quite awhile. The first thing we did Saturday morning was go see Rosie and the babies, and he was very excited. I noticed that Rosie really didn't seem too keen on being down there away from everyone, because she kept trying to come upstairs.

On Sunday morning, I thought I was hearing things because I could hear little kitten cries. Then, I got worried that Miikka had brought one upstairs on his own or something. Next thing I know, Rosie is running through the dining room with a kitten in her mouth, en route to the cat tree we have. To my surprise, she had been bringing kittens up and putting them in the cat condo, so that's where they are now.


Miikka likes to perch himself on top of the cat condo, where the kittens are. He's appointed himself Chief Kitten Guard.

I can't wait to share more pictures of the kittens as they grow. I'm already obsessed with them!

2) I went a little crazy and got a bunch of Team USA gear on Saturday. I got three t-shirts, a jersey, and a hat. As far as I'm concerned, you can never have enough Team USA gear, especially during the Olympics.

What made this little shopping excursion even more exciting was that I went with one of my brothers. We don't get to spend nearly enough time together, so it was nice to get a little bonding time. He got a bunch of fishing stuff, while I went a little crazy on the USA Hockey gear. That little shopping trip definitely made my whole weekend.

3) My back is hurting a lot, and I know it's from me falling last week. I'm headed back to the chiropractor this evening, so hopefully he can get me some relief. My back was feeling pretty awesome until I fell again, and it sucks that I've regressed. I am so bad at being graceful.

4) Have you been watching the Olympics? Any time I was home over the weekend, that's all I did. I even watched replays after I'd seen the live broadcast.

The women's hockey tournament has started already, and USA plays Canada on Wednesday morning at 7:30 a.m. USA men's hockey open the tournament against Slovakia at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday. Needless to say, I will be at my desk and ready to go with coffee and breakfast in time to see puck drop of both games.

What are you favorite Olympic events?

Then and Now

Since Facebook turned 10 this week, I decided to take a look back and see where I was 10 years ago.

THEN

The 2003-04 school year. I was a 20-year old junior in college at Allegheny, living in an off-campus house with some of my best friends. I was working on completing the requirements for my Political Science major and Black Studies minor, as well as starting to think about comping in the fall. I was taking five classes (20 credits) that semester, instead of standard four (16 credits), so by the end of it, I was ready to shoot myself or someone else.

NOW

I'm 30, have a BA in Political Science and a MS in Sport Management, and work as an event planner for a national non-profit.

THEN
I would have starved to death before I went and ate by myself at school. I wouldn't say I had social anxiety as defined by a licensed medical professional or WebMD, but, yeah. Going anywhere alone was torture for me, I would never have dreamt of eating alone.

NOW

Graduating from Allegheny was so hard because for four glorious years, I lived in a bubble where my closest friends were within a five-minute walk from me 95% of the time. After we graduated, everyone was spread out all over the place and my social safety net was gone.

I'm not sure why or how, but during grad school, I kicked the social fear thing and started doing everything by myself. Studied, went to the gym, went to dinner, got my nails done, went shopping. I certainly wasn't lonely, but if I needed or wanted to do something and no one was around to accompany me, I went anyway.

I've gone to hockey games, the movies, dinner, happy hour, the theater, you name it - all by myself. That might not seem like a big deal to some people, but knowing what I was like just 10 years ago, it's huge.

THEN

My nephews had just turned two years old.

NOW

My nephews just turned 12, and now I have three more nieces! What a difference 10 years makes, eh?

THEN

Kitty was 10-years old and still the sassiest animal I knew. He was not shy about making it known that he ruled the house and anyone that did not meet his approval was notified by a pile of poop. I mean that literally. If someone was over that he didn't like, he'd poop on the floor; it never failed. He was 100% litter-trained, but he was also wise enough to voice his displeasure when he was less than satisfied.

Kitty was the best. He slept with me every night, and if I wasn't in bed by 9:30 or 10, he would go up to my room and meow angrily until I came upstairs. He honestly had more personality than a lot of people I know and was most faithful friend.

NOW



I unfortunately had to put Kitty to sleep three years ago, and it was really hard for me for awhile. I knew that I would want another cat, but my heart still hurt, and I just wasn't ready. I'm getting choked up as I write this, because I miss him every day. However, I have another furry ray of sunshine in my life and I love him to pieces.

My brother got me Miikka James Kittensoff for my 30th birthday, and right from the start, he's been the sweetest little cuddle bug. I got him from a shelter, and all four pounds of him was a purring machine as soon as I picked him up out of his cage.

He purrs as much as ever, and is super vocal. It honestly feels like you can have a conversation with him because he chirps and meows in response almost all of the time, which often provides much-needed comic relief.

He's going to be a big boy and weighs almost 10 pounds now. His favorite thing to do is tear up paper, cardboard, or Styrofoam, which I have never seen a cat do. Sometimes I feel like I live with a smelly little toddler. He gets into everything, isn't too fond of baths, loves to wake me up early, and has the attention span of a fruit fly. I love him to pieces and he's always happy to see me when I get home.

I also have a second cat, Rosie. Kitty would have NEVER allowed another animal in the house. Like I said, he ruled the house; he was king and we were simply his unworthy subjects.

Rosie is a sweet girl I rescued from outside, and she is BFFs with Miikka. Just like a little boy, Miikka doesn't always understand how to be gentle and play nicely, so he sometimes has a problem with roughhousing and overzealousness, but Rosie takes it in stride. She's definitely the ying to his yang.



THEN

Looking back, I can't believe I kept my feelings for B. so hidden, as if they were a closely guarded secret. I'm pretty sure everyone, including him, knew how I felt. I could have saved myself years of mental anguish by saying how I felt. Instead, I held it all in, and pretended that I was okay with the way things were, when in actuality, I wasn't.

At that point in time, I'm pretty sure we weren't speaking to each other. I'm trying to remember what is was that we were fighting about that time, but, for the life of me, I can't remember. S H O C K E R. Why are young adults so crazy? If I can't remember, I'm sure it must have been pretty minor. Why did I not realize that a relationship this drama-filled was not worth pursuing, let alone holding on to for the next 10 years?

NOW

I told B. how I felt several months ago, and even though it's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster at times, I've never felt so good. My heart feels so much lighter and I'm no longer sad because of the "what ifs" I was carrying around. My only regret was that I didn't tell him years ago.

Ten years ago, I couldn't imagine what it would be like being a 30-year old. I had this grand plan of being married by 25 and having a child at 30. I can honestly say that I'm happy that none of that has happened yet, because I'm perfectly happy getting to know myself and experiencing things I would otherwise be unable to if I had a family. Maybe I'll be married by 35? Who knows. What I do know, however, is life keeps getting better and I like that a lot.

My Nieces and Nephews

I know I'm a little biased, but I'm pretty sure I have the sweetest and cutest nieces and nephews around. They live only about 15-20 minutes away from me, so I get to seem them pretty often, and for that, I'm very thankful.

I don't have my own children, and I'm not sure I even ever want to be a mom, however, I like being an aunt a whole lot, and I think I'm really good at it. I get to spoil kids I love, then give them back at the end of the day/weekend. Pretty ideal situation.


Quinton and Braden are the best big brothers. For almost eight years, it was just them, and then, the sassiest little lady who ever did sass, Miss Avia, came along.

Avia is three and we are two peas in a pod, except, she's way sassier than me. Every time I'm with her, I have to paint her nails. It's become our ritual, so I'm always sure to have a few on hand so she can feel like the color choice is hers. She also loves to pick out her own outfits and go shopping. Her parents are in for a world of trouble.


As you can see, Avia is a champ at taking selfies with me, so we are always taking pictures after our nails are done.

A year ago, my brother and his wife welcomed their fourth and fifth children into the world. That's right, two sets of twins. Quinton and Braden were conceived through fertility, but the girls were au naturale.



Vaila and Vieira are the littlest sweethearts, who adore their big brothers and sister so much. Babies tend to freak me out a bit, but I like them a lot.

Yesterday was their first birthday, which I cannot believe. I'm amazed at just how fast this year has gone. I feel like we were just at my sister-in-law's baby shower when my brother came in and announced that they had been born. Yep, they arrived on their shower day, and since Pitbull said "don't stop the party," their brothers and sister opened all of the gifts.

I can never get Vaila to take pictures with me because she's squirming all of the place. Vieira is a little better, but, her selfie game still needs some work.


As I was helping to carry things out to the car when the party was over, Braden held the door for me like a little gentleman. I asked him if my brother had taught him to do that, and he shrugged and said, "No, it's just manners." I felt my heart swell with pride. I then told him that it's important to always hold doors for people, especially ladies. It was in that moment that it hit me just how lucky I am to have these amazing kids look up to me. I don't want to ever take that for granted.